Various chemical and electronic devices have been used in the past to aid cattle breeders in determining the start of the standing heat or oestrus cycles of various animals including livestock. Due to the expense involved and the random success obtained many prior art devices have met with only modest acceptance on a commercial scale. The present invention overcomes many of the known problems and provides highly accurate data for a livestock owner so he can utilize with a great degree of success artificial insemination which must be carried out within relatively short time limits.
With the shortcomings of the prior art devices and methods in mind one of the objectives of the present invention is to allow the cattle breeder to pinpoint with a high degree of accuracy the first six hours after the period of standing heat in a female cow terminates.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a monitoring device which is relatively inexpensive to own and maintain and which can be used with large herds.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a standing heat monitoring device which records critical data and includes a printing means whereby the data recorded can be used for future reference.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide data regarding the last simulated mounting during the standing heat cycle so termination of the cycle can be closely approximated.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a transmitter which will conserve energy by transmitting only a series of short bursts after simulated mounting has terminated.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a standing heat cycle monitoring device which is useful for large cattle herds, and which allows monitoring the herd from a distant point.
Also a further objective of the present invention is to provide a receiver which operates on standard household current and which is also equipped with an emergency battery backup supply system.